Practices related to customer satisfaction

Based on various business customer satisfaction surveys we carry out regularly, the overall total satisfaction with UPM as a supplier is 75% (in 2015). The surveys measure, for example, our customers’ overall satisfaction with our performance and their relationship with the main sales contact.

Customer satisfaction is continuous development

The surveys offer a continuous development tool that brings an external customer dimension to performance management. Through these surveys, UPM has increased its knowledge of customer attitudes, thoughts and perceptions. They have provided valuable input to improve operations further. UPM will focus on both local performance and further improvement of our global processes and guidance.

Enquiries

UPM provides an 'Environment and Responsibility Enquiry' tool in which Paper ENA, Specialty Papers, Plywood, Biocomposites, and Timber customer enquiries are saved. The tool allows us to analyse and follow up on trends and emerging topics surrounding the environmental and responsibility issues our customers are concerned about. The tool enables us to be proactive in our actions to meet changing demands from our customers, thereby helping us to improve our customer service.

In 2015, the number of enquiries increased by 7 % from the previous year. The main topics amongst customer concern were product safety, origin of wood, forest certification, and chain of custodies as well as environmental labels. Interest in social and ethical issues is rising globally.

Public databases

WWF’s “Check Your Paper” (CYP) tool is a public database for pulp and paper products with high environmental standards. The CYP method focuses on a limited number of environmental parameters, including how well forests supplying fibre are managed, use of recycled or virgin fibre, fossil CO2emissions, waste going to landfill and water pollution from mills. The method is simple yet not simplistic and has been developed and fine-tuned by WWF on an ongoing basis since 2007, in collaboration with scientists, paper buyers, producers and NGOs.

We have been part of CYP since the very beginning and were one of the first companies to rate papers in the tool. Today, UPM has a total of 23 paper products groups rated in the CYP tool. All of them are third-party verified. The results vary from “good” to “excellent”, with the majority being “very good” or “excellent”.